Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

It was already past 8 p.m. when we finished dinner. The meal had taken a while, but everyone was very full and satisfied.

The deaf old lady was so full she could barely walk.

There are too many vegetables, and the seafood will be too much to eat after a while, so we need to finish them all at once.

His wife and children washed their feet and dried themselves before going back to their room to lie down, while Li Jiuzhou wanted to take a bath.

After cooking all day, I smelled quite strongly of cooking oil on my clothes.

There were two pots full of hot water in the kitchen. Li Jiuzhou filled a bucket and went to the bathroom to wash up.

After taking a shower, I washed the clothes I had changed out of and then hung them out to dry in the yard.

Just as Li Jiuzhou finished showering and was about to go to sleep, there was a knock on the door.

Li Jiuzhou went to open the door and, seeing it was Da Hu, quickly let him in:

"What's wrong, Big Tiger? Something's up?"

Da Hu chuckled憨厚ly: "Brother, I have a colleague who recently brought back a pair of bear paws from Northeast China. He asked if I wanted them. Does our factory need them?"

Li Jiuzhou replied, "Why are you asking me about this? You're from the purchasing department, just ask your supervisor."

"If the factory doesn't want it, just sell it to someone else."

Da Hu said, "Then I'll ask my boss tomorrow, and if he wants it, I'll take it."

Li Jiuzhou nodded: "Yes, it's getting late. We have to go to work tomorrow, so let's go home and get some sleep."

"Alright, bro, I'm heading back now."

"Um……"

The next day, when Uncle Er walked into the kitchen with a smile, he waved to Li Jiuzhou:

"Not bad, that kid Da Hu brought back a pair of bear paws, he's got some skills."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuzhou smiled:

"Now that you've got this, are you planning to treat yourself or give it to your boss?"

Li Huaide waved his hand and said, "It's winter now, and the leaders rarely come out to inspect anymore. I'll take the bear paw myself."

"Get this ready for me in a bit, I'll take it home tonight and have a couple of drinks with the old man."

"How about I save one bear paw for you?"

Li Jiuzhou shook his head: "There's only so much meat on a bear paw. If I take one, it won't be enough for your whole family."

"Let's forget about it. I'll make it for you in a bit, and you can take it home tonight."

"Alright!" Li Huaide agreed without being polite to his nephew.

Li Jiuzhou had Sha Zhu and his apprentice You Fulai work together to prepare the bear paws.

The two bear paws are prepared separately; one is made into braised bear paw, which is a Shandong cuisine method.

Another braised dish!

The dish sounds simple, but the ingredients needed to make it are far more than just bear paws.

It also needs ham, winter bamboo shoots, and a whole chicken as ingredients, otherwise how can bear paw be considered one of the Eight Delicacies?

Before leaving get off work, Li Huaide finished packing and took it home.

After examining the two bear paws, Old Master Li first showed surprise, then delight, and finally doubt, before saying to Li Huaide:

"Huai De, aren't we eating a little too well at home?"

"Bear paws, one of the Eight Delicacies, are only served at state banquets."

Li Huaide laughed and said, "Dad, don't worry, the proper channels are here. I bought it myself and had Jiuzhou make it for me."

"Our family doesn't eat meat and fish every day, so it's not excessive for us to eat something nice. Besides, these things are rare, and once they're gone, they're gone forever."

The old man nodded slightly, clearly satisfied with Li Huaide's answer, and instructed him:

"Go, open a bottle of good wine, let's have a couple of drinks, you and me."

"Alright!" Li Huaide replied and went upstairs to the old man's study to get the wine.

The best wines in the house are all kept in the old man's study.

Not long after, Li Huaide brought down a bottle of top-grade baijiu.

The old man's lips twitched slightly upon seeing it, thinking, "I told you to bring down a bottle of good wine, not this good wine!"

"That's the king of wines in my own wine cabinet!"

That's Shuang Gou Da Qu, which ranked first in the blind tasting this year and was the top-grade liquor!

This year, it outperformed famous liquors such as Moutai, Fenjiu, and Luzhou Laojiao.

I only have two bottles myself, and I've never even been able to drink them.

Li Huaide had been eyeing this for a long time, otherwise he wouldn't have brought the wine down. Moreover, he had already unscrewed the cap beforehand, just in case his father-in-law changed his mind.

This liquor is 64% alcohol by volume, and one bottle contains one jin (500ml).

The old man gave Li Huaide a disapproving look and gestured for him to pour the wine.

One cup per person, and it's 64 degrees, so you can't drink too much.

Drinking fine wine and eating bear paws is quite a pleasant experience.

The next day, Da Hu brought back a lot of good stuff, including venison, roe deer meat, and grouse meat.

Because winter has long passed in Northeast China, hunters have come out to hunt, and good catches are constantly being bought up.

Da Hu has sales channels, so there's no need to worry about the supply of goods at all.

Li Huaide was itching to buy all the good stuff on the ground and finally bought a little bit.

The warehouse can be frozen, so there's no need to worry about it spoiling.

Back in his office, Li Huaide consoled himself:

"I don't have any other hobbies besides being a womanizer and really wanting to eat good food."

"Isn't that a bit much?"

"I didn't do anything against the rules. I paid for it myself. Right, don't panic. It's not like I'm the only one eating it. The old man eats it too. What's there to panic about? If the sky falls, someone taller will hold it up."

So he asked Li Jiuzhou to get a few more dishes to pack and take home.

Winter is here, and it's perfectly reasonable to nourish your family's bodies, really, it's perfectly reasonable...

At night, at the Li family home, the old man was slightly stunned after seeing the dishes.

Li Huaide vividly described several dishes:

"This is braised roe deer meat, braised deer tendon, and stewed grouse."

The Li family was astonished by the dishes they heard.

Li Yushu, the brother-in-law, couldn't help but ask:

"Brother-in-law, what kind of family do we have to eat so well? It's all top-quality delicacies from Northeast China."

"Did your factory's purchasing department plunder Changbai Mountain?"

Li Huaide laughed and said, "Didn't I tell you last time that Jiuzhou's neighbors used to buy wild game before they entered the factory?"

"I also have connections in Northeast China, but I don't want to get involved in these things, brother-in-law."

"But good things are rare; once you miss this opportunity, you won't find it again."

"Besides, it's getting cold, so it's only right that we give you some nourishing food."

"Don't worry about the money, I can afford to buy this kind of thing."

Li Huaide's words warmed the hearts of his family.

Even the old man had nothing to say; as long as it wasn't an abuse of power for personal gain, there was no problem.

So the old man gave Li Huaide a knowing look.

Li Huaide immediately understood and went upstairs to get the wine.

Good food is no match for good wine; we have to have a couple of drinks!

Yesterday, the father and son only drank half of it, so today they might as well finish the rest of the bottle.

So the Li family enjoyed another delicious meal.

But for the next few days it didn't stop; Li Huaide brought good things home every day.

When they learned that Li Huaide had stockpiled a lot at once, they felt relieved. They had already bought it, so why would they return it?

If word gets out, where will the Li family put their face?

The old man also gave some money to Li Huaide.

After Li Huaide refused, he was scolded. The old man said, "I'm not dead yet, it's not your turn to run this family."

The old man didn't want Li Huaide to spend too much money; it was better to keep some on him.

Besides, he's in charge of the household, and the usual expenses are covered by the old man's salary.